Appetizing Event: Tasting at Calle Ocho, NYC

A couple weeks ago, Calle Ocho, an Upper West side New York City restaurant, organized a tasting for New York City food bloggers. I’m still dreaming about the Bacon Wrapped Almond Stuffed Dates. The Cured Salmon, Aji Amarillo, Sour Orange and Pineapple ceviche lingers in my mind. Their Colombian Sweet Corn Arepa reminds me of an airy version of my Grandmother’s hot-water corn cakes.

Calle Ocho is a fusion of Cuban, Peruvian, Dominican, Spanish, Venezuelan and Costa Rican cuisines. It originally opened in 1988 at 446 Columbus Avenue by Chefs Alex Garcia and Rodney Mitchell. It quickly became known for their weekend brunch that apparently requires reservations weeks in advance.

In July 2011, Calle Ocho reopened inside the Excelsior Hotel on 81st street, across the street from the American Museum of Natural History. At my table, the ladies of BrunchineeNYC.blogspot.com gave me a brief history of Calle Ocho (they’re regulars who remember Calle Ocho’s previous address). The paintings in the restaurant are collages from the previous location. They have eight different Sangrias. The Tropical White Sangria has mango, pineapple, lemongrass, passion fruit and rum. The Mulata Red Sangria has tamarind, vanilla and spice dark rum. Their wine list represents Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. Also, did I mention I met Cindy of ChubbyChineseGirl.com and Andrea Chan of HighLowFoodDrink.com? It’s always good to see Jackie of “The Diva Who Ate New York”.

If only everyone served bacon wrapped dates. Adding the cabrales is a nice touch. We’ve always had them with goat cheese or gorgonzola cheese. The entire meal looks delicious. Adding this to the list of must visits when the next NYC trip appears!